Francis Urquhart, the unscrupulous but cunning Conservative Prime Minister, has his survival threatened by a liberal monarch and an upcoming General Election.
Top-Rated Episodes
S1.E4
Francis Urquhart calls the election but the party is down 13 points in the polls and he will obviously have a hard slog ahead if he is to be reelected. A gas explosion in a block of flats gives the ...
S1.E3
Despite his pleas to the King to avoid a constitutional crisis and not publicly express his personal views, the King refuses and Urquhart decides to destroy him. As planned, the King goes on ...
S1.E1
Frances Urquhart is now Prime Minister and is somewhat haunted by what he has done in the past. A newly crowned King presents him with more of a challenge that he may have expected. The King has a ...
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Title: To Play the King (1993)
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3 wins & 3 nominations.
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Francis Urquhart, the unscrupulous but cunning Conservative Prime Minister, has his survival threatened by a liberal monarch and an upcoming General Election. Written by Dragan Antulov <dragan.antulov@altbbs.fido.hr>
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tv mini series | political plot | psychopath | corruption | prostitute |Genres:
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Stamper confronts Francis about having a job in higher office after the election, like Home Secretary, but Francis rejects him. In the first House of Cards, Francis was promised a higher post like Home Secretary from Collingridge, but was rejected. See more »Crazy Credits
After the credits Ian Richardson is shown in close up saying "God save the King" See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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8 October 1996 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
To Play the King See more »Company Credits
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'To Play the King', an adaptation of Michael Dobbs' novel of the same title, is superb as we are invited by the protagonist, PM Francis Urquhart to watch as he attempts to cling to his position of absolute power. Ian Richardson as the unscrupulous right-wing premier is magnificent and the cast are brilliant; stand-outs including Colin Jeavons as Stamper and Michael Kitchen as the socialist King.
Urquhart's direct-to-camera moments are memorable and the viewer can't help but admire the person we should in actual fact loathe. The action is at a break-neck pace and the plot builds up to a satisfying climax.
Is it better than House of Cards? As Urquhart would say:
"You might very well think that, I couldn't possibly comment."